The Kids Alliance for Better Care (KidsABC) is a joint initiative between Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (Children’s), Mercer University School of Medicine (MUSM), and the Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center (GRHIC). KidsABC provides avenues of support for Georgia’s rural pediatricians and rural family practitioners to keep care for kids close to home. Practitioners involved in pediatric health care have opportunities to network, learn from their peers, and complete trainings facilitated by subject matter experts.
Free CME Opportunities
The Pediatric Alliance Webinar Series (PAWS) is a free monthly training program offering one-hour virtual sessions led by subject matter experts, allowing providers to earn CME and CNE credits. Topics covered include hypertension, arthritis, epilepsy and more. PAWS complements this with peer-led rural pediatric case studies and in-person continuing education conferences.
Newsletter
Rural Pediatric News is published monthly and highlights training and continuing medical education options, recommended reading, physician spotlights, seasonal health and wellness information to share with patients, and more.
Pediatric Alliance Webinar Series
All sessions are 12:30-1:30 p.m.
Virtual link will be emailed to registrants.
January 14 | Pediatric Stroke | Dr. Sourabh Lahoti
Dr. Lahoti, of the Georgia Neurosurgical Institute, is a board-certified neurointerventional surgeon specializing in minimally invasive, endovascular treatment for stroke, brain aneurysms, carotid artery disease, and related conditions. Dr. Lahoti serves as the medical director of the Neurointerventional Surgery Program at Atrium Health Navicent Medical Center, where he has been entrusted with leading the effort to establish it as a Comprehensive Stroke Center. He is among the few neurologists in the country to hold triple board certification in Neurology, Vascular Neurology, and CNS Endovascular Neurosurgery. He graduated from Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College in India, completed his residency at the University of Kentucky and completed fellowships at Emory University and the University of Iowa.
February 11 | Pediatric Feeding Development and Intervention | Rose Herring, M.Ed., CCC-SLP
Rose Herring, founder of Evolve Therapy Solutions, is a pediatric speech-language pathologist who specializes in feeding therapy. With a strong background in early intervention, medically complex infants, and pediatric feeding disorders, Herring is deeply passionate about improving access to specialized feeding and speech therapy services in rural and underserved communities. Rose earned her master’s in communication sciences and disorders at Valdosta State University and holds her Certificate of Clinical Competence through ASHA. Her clinical approach is evidence-based, family-centered, and rooted in the belief that children thrive when they feel safe, supported, and understood.
March 11 | Anxiety and Depression | Dr. William Powers
Dr. William Powers is an attending child and adolescent psychiatrist at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, where he practices in the outpatient clinic and on the consult‑liaison psychiatry service. He also serves as adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Emory University School of Medicine. Dr. Powers completed his general psychiatry residency and child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship at Emory. He directs the Complex Mood Disorders Clinic within the Complex Neuropsychiatry Program at Children’s. He is a member of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and serves as a board member on the Georgia Council of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
May 13 | Asthma and Respiratory Infections | Dr. Jonathan Popler
Dr. Popler received his undergraduate degree from the City College of New York-City University of New York (CUNY). He earned his medical degree from Stony Brook School of Medicine – State University of New York (SUNY). He completed a pediatric residency at Emory University and fellowship in pediatric pulmonology at the University of Colorado (Children’s Hospital Colorado). In 2016, Dr. Popler co-founded Camp Trach Me Away, a summer camp for children with tracheostomies. He is the medical director of inpatient pulmonary services as well as the co-medical director of the Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia Center. Dr. Popler has particular interests in the care of children with tracheostomies and requiring assistive ventilation, as well as the care of children with interstitial and diffuse lung diseases. Dr. Popler is board-certified in both pediatrics and pediatric pulmonology. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and a member of the American Thoracic Society.
June 17 | ADHD and Learning Disabilities | Dr. David O’Banion
July 8 | Back to School: Common Diseases and Infections/Immunizations | Dr. Sallie Lin
August 12 | Rural Pediatric Case Study
September 9 | Meningitis | Dr. Collin Dubick
October 14 | SIDS | Dr. Sara Lazarus
November 11 | Diabetes | Dr. Daniel Hsia
Pediatric Alliance Webinar Series (PAWS) 2026
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Autism in Rural Georgia Conference
July 9-10, 2026 | 9 a.m-4 p.m.
July 9: Presidents Dining Room, Mercer University — Macon Campus
July 10: Mercer University School of Medicine – Macon Campus
Free event. Breakfast and lunch provided.
Conference Day 1: Thursday, July 9
- School Services for Autistic Children
- Developmental Milestones and Autism Detection
- Autism Detection and EarliPoint
- Support for Autistic Young Adults
Conference Day 2: Friday, July 10
Interactive Breakout Sessions:
- Medication Management
- Managing Crisis and Difficult Behavior
- Managing Autism Social Concerns
Note: Planning for this conference is ongoing and topics are subject to change.
Continuing Education Credits
Credits for in-person attendance are pending.
Registration
Autism in Rural Georgia Conference 2026
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